RSX-1057Surround Sound Receiver
DTS Neo:6
The RSX-1057 features a second type of DTS surround sound decoding: DTS Neo:6. This decoding system is similar to Dolby Pro Logic II and is designed for playback of any 2-channel stereo recording, either matrix- encoded or not. The Neo:6 decoder can be used with any conventional 2-channel source such a stereo TV or FM broadcast or a CD. It can also be used as an alternative method of decoding matrix-encoded Dolby Surround recordings or TV broadcasts. Ac- tivate the DTS Neo:6 decoding with the DTS Neo:6 button as detailed later in this section. DTS Neo:6 is not used with DTS 5.1 digital sources and the button need not be pressed for those recordings.
Dolby Digital Surround EX
DTS-ES
6.1 and 7.1 Channel Surround
In 1999, the first Dolby Digital soundtrack was released to theaters with an additional center back surround channel, intended to increase the directional effects from behind the audience. This additional surround chan- nel is encoded into the two existing surround channels in Dolby Digital 5.1, using a matrix encoding process similar to that used previ- ously in Dolby Surround. This new extended surround capability is called Dolby Digital Surround EX.
DTS has added a similar capability for re- cording this extended surround information called DTS-ES®6.1 Matrix. They have also taken it one step further and developed the capability to record this extended surround information as a discrete channel in a system called DTS-ES®6.1 Discrete.
All of these systems are extensions of the ex- isting Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 digital surround sound formats. Users with one cen- ter back speaker (a 6.1 configuration) or two center back speakers (a 7.1 configuration) can take advantage of this extended surround information. On traditional 5.1 channel sys- tems, Dolby Digital Surround EX or DTS-ES 6.1 discs sound exactly the same as 5.1 channel discs in each respective format.
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If you have configured your system with one or two center back speakers, decoding of DTS-ES discs is automatic, just as it is with standard DTS soundtracks. Likewise, decod- ing of Dolby Digital Surround EX discs is au- tomatic with one exception. Some Surround EX titles do not have the detection “flag” encoded on the disc. To activate the Dolby Digital Surround EX features for these discs (or for standard 5.1 channel Dolby Digital discs), you must manually activate Dolby Sur- round EX processing.
Dolby Pro Logic IIx
6.1 and 7.1 Channel Surround
The latest technology from Dolby uses ad- vanced matrix decoding for the surround channels in a 6.1 channel or 7.1 channel system. Working with any 2.0 channel or
5.1channel recording, Dolby Pro Logic IIx processing distributes the surround channel information among three or four surround channels, with a Music mode optimized for musical recordings and a Cinema mode op- timized for film soundtracks.
Rotel XS
6.1 and 7.1 Channel Surround
The RSX-1057 also features Rotel XS (eXtend- ed Surround) processing provides extended surround performance on 6.1 and 7.1 chan- nel systems. The key benefit of Rotel XS is that it works at all times with all multichan- nel digital signals, even those that might not otherwise activate Dolby Digital EX or DTS- ES surround decoding for the center back channel(s). Always available when center back speaker(s) are configured in the system setup, Rotel XS decodes the surround chan- nels and distributes the extended surround channels to the center back speaker(s) in a way that tends to create a diffuse surround effect. Rotel XS works with matrix-encoded surround signals (such as non-flagged DTS- ES and Dolby Surround EX discs) as well as digital source material that is not Dolby Sur- round EX encoded (such as DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and even Dolby Pro Logic II de- coded Dolby Digital 2.0 recordings).
DSP Music Modes
Unlike all of the formats mentioned above, the RSX-1057 offers four surround modes that are not part of a specific recording/playback system. These modes (MUSIC 1–4) use digital signal processing that adds special acoustic effects to any signal. DSP processing can be used with Dolby Surround recordings, Dolby Digital recordings, CDs, radio broadcasts, or any other source material; however, typi- cally DSP settings would be used with source material for which there is no specific sur- round decoder.
The four MUSIC MODES in the RSX-1057 use digital delay and reverberation effects to simulate progressively larger acoustic en- vironments with MUSIC 1 being the small- est type of venue (such as a jazz club) and MUSIC 4 being a large venue (such as a stadium). Typically used to add ambience and a sense of space when listening to music sources or other sources that lack surround sound encoding.
2Ch/5Ch/7Ch Stereo Formats
The RSX-1057 also provides four modes that disable all surround processing and deliver stereo signals to amplifiers and speakers. There are three options:
2CH Stereo: Turns off the center channel and all surround channels in the system and delivers a conventional 2-channel signal to the front speakers. If the system is con- figured to route bass signals from the front speakers to the subwoofer, this capability remains in effect.
Analog Bypass: For 2-channel analog inputs, there is a special stereo mode that bypasses ALL of the RSX-1057’s digital pro- cessing. The two front speakers receive pure analog stereo full-range signals with no sub- woofer crossover, no delay, no level adjust- ments, and no contour adjustment.
5CH Stereo: Distributes a stereo signal to
5.1channel systems. The left channel signal is sent, unchanged, to the front left and sur- round left speakers. The right channel is sent to the front right and surround right speak- ers. A mono sum of the two channels is sent to the center channel speaker.
7CH Stereo: This mode is the same as 5CH Stereo described above except that it also distributes stereo signals to center back speaker(s) installed in the system.